Just as things were beginning to thaw between Prince Harry and his family, thanks to him agreeing to attend King Charles’ coronation, the hornet’s nest has been kicked again.
In new court papers filed by the Duke of Sussex last week in London, he alleges his father’s staff stopped him from pursuing litigation against The Sun newspaper for phone hacking. It’s claimed this was done in a bid to protect the King and Queen Camilla’s relationship with the British press.
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Sources say King Charles, 74, is devastated 38-year-old Harry has thrown him under the bus just days before his coronation – but he may have an unlikely ally in the form of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan, 41, will not be attending the May 6 coronation at Westminster Abbey. However, sources have sensationally claimed to New Idea that she is planning a whirlwind visit to London this week to try and patch things up with her father-in-law.
“In the past two weeks, the change in Meghan has been dramatic,” says one source. “All of a sudden she won’t hear a bad word about the King.”
It’s understood the duchess planned to stay a night at Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, where she once lived with Prince Harry, and drop in on the King at Clarence House.
We’re told that while Meghan, a media-savvy former actress, ultimately supports her husband’s vendetta against the British press, she worries about what it will mean for her family’s future.
Indeed Prince Archie, who turns 4 this weekend, and Princess Lilibet, 1, were “overlooked for even the smallest coronation roles”. We’re told Meghan fears they could become collateral damage in Harry’s fallout with his father.
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“She has a lot of things she wants to clear up with Charles, and feels it would be best done in person,” says a source close to Meghan. “She also knew she had to fly back at some point soon to clear up her remaining things at Frogmore [Cottage], so it made perfect sense to duck over to the UK in secret.”
In March, the King evicted the Sussexes from the royal residence, which had been given to them by the late Queen as a wedding present.
Still, palace insiders aren’t convinced by Meghan’s apparent olive branch. They point out it’s curious timing, given reports last month that Charles is worth a staggering $1.1 billion – and no-one knows how the Sussexes plan to afford their extravagant lifestyle in California.
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New Idea is exclusively told they recently acquired a brand new Land Rover Defender worth around $140,000. We’ve also heard from multiple reputable sources that they are looking to upgrade their $20 million mortgaged Montecito mansion to a new home in the more secure Hope Ranch neighbourhood.
“Alarm bells are going off about the timing of this new, amenable Meghan,” reports one of our well-placed sources.
For more, pick up the latest issue of New Idea!
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